Even great EMS products have room for improvement. Often the best designs are those created two or three generations after the initial version.
The new i-gel O2 Resus Pack from Intersurgical is one of those designs. It puts the four things you need right at your fingertips in one convenient kit:
- An i-gel O2 supraglottic airway
- A suction tube
- A support strap
- Lubricant
The heart of the pack is the i-gel airway, now with both an oxygen port and a suction port. The oxygen port is for continuous oxygen insufflation during CPR.
In recent years, I have had many opportunities to watch continuous oxygen insufflation in the OR. It can delay oxygen desaturation dramatically.
By simply bagging occasionally, one could blow off CO2 while providing oxygen to the lungs passively. I am very excited to finally see a rescue airway with this feature. Future study may also reveal significant advantages to this approach.
The suction port on the new i-gel does three different things:
- It gives you a visual indication of potential aspiration
- It helps relieve air in the stomach, reducing gastric pressure and reducing the risk of regurgitation
- It allows you to pass a suction catheter
The main thing I like about the i-gel is the anatomical cuff. It is composed of a thermoplastic elastomer that mirrors hypopharyngeal anatomy. It does not require inflation, which makes it much faster to apply.
It may also reduce the potential of some inflatable airways to compromise blood flow because it does not put pressure on the carotids.
Even the packaging is well thought-out; it protects the airway in storage while staying small and easy to fit in your bag. It includes an integral hook ring for application of the support strap.
The new i-gel O2 comes in three sizes, for patients weighing 65 pounds and more.
